


be (a) patient

by MollyRenata



Series: the sun, the moon, the fool and the lovers [10]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Fluff, Multi, Sickfic, rated for sho being himself, some headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28764960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyRenata/pseuds/MollyRenata
Summary: During a trip to Inaba, Sho falls ill.Fortunately, he isn't alone anymore.
Relationships: Minazuki Sho/Narukami Yu/Kujikawa Rise
Series: the sun, the moon, the fool and the lovers [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937416
Kudos: 3





	be (a) patient

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something like this, so here.
> 
> Loosely set after the epilogue to "break out of your head".

* * *

It all started on a routine trip to Inaba in the height of summer - when Sho stayed in one place for longer than any other time, basking in the presence of the people he loved. Just three days had passed since his arrival, and he'd felt fine _then,_ with no indication that anything was wrong.

He woke up on the morning of the fourth day with an odd, scratchy sensation in the back of his throat. Sho dismissed it, and went about his daily routine; flirting with Yu a little, texting Rise to ask if she could come see him, greeting the Dojimas as best he could... and uncle Dojima noticed _right away_ that something was off. He commented that Sho didn't sound too good, and should get some rest today - typical _concerned adults,_ though Sho couldn't bring himself to _mind_ it. He still complained, of course, insisting that he was _just fine_ and that the old man worried too much.

It was afternoon when the fatigue began to set in. Sho had made his way out of town in search of something to cut up; his mission demanded that he kept his sword skills sharp, even when he was "on vacation", and it was also a good way to keep himself occupied when his lovers wanted their own time. He'd only been out for a short time, and he already felt exhausted - unusual and more than a little frustrating, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it, so he headed back to the Dojima residence, conceding that maybe Yu's uncle was _right._

In his youth, Sho wouldn't have allowed himself to show any sort of weakness, and he would have kept struggling until Minazuki took over and _forced_ him to rest. He didn't _like_ it, but he knew better now - especially when his sinuses started overflowing and he spent half the trip back coughing his lungs out.

For some reason beyond his understanding, Persona users seemed to be more physically resilient than those who lacked the potential... or at least, that was what Yu had told him. Their wounds healed faster, and they didn't fall ill often; for his part, Sho had managed to avoid illness during the three years that he was separated from Yu and Rise, aside from the occasional bout of food poisoning brought about by him being careless. He didn't recall ever getting sick when he was growing up, though that was likely due to the sterile environment he was raised in - and thinking about _that_ made him queasy for a _different_ reason.

By the time Sho stumbled into the house, he had a _nasty_ headache, and had started trembling from chills. It was absurd to think that he would get _cold_ during the summer, and that confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was sick; fortunately, Yu was there, having opted to stay with his family for a bit today.

Sho's physical condition did not escape the ever-watchful _leader man's_ notice, and he looked up from where he was seated at the table, concern in his eyes. "...What's wrong, Sho?"

"I feel like shit," the redhead muttered in response, supporting himself against the wall with a hand. "...You can _see_ what's wrong with me, can't ya...?"

It was difficult to speak, thanks to the congestion, and Sho didn't want to talk any more than he needed to - a rarity for him, really, since he liked the sound of his own voice. It had kept him from getting too lonely during his sad youth, even before Minazuki came along-

"...Yeah, you don't look too good." Yu stood and walked over to Sho, pressing a hand to his forehead. "You're burning up... let's get you upstairs, okay?"

Sho tried to say something else, but was interrupted by another coughing fit, and he struggled to keep himself upright. His pride wouldn't allow him to give in so easily - plus, whatever he had was probably contagious, and he didn't want his boyfriend catching it, too.

...Coughing on him like that didn't help any in that regard, and the way Minazuki shifted around in the back of Sho's head felt almost like a _reprimand._ What was the point of scolding someone for _coughing?_

"...I'm not _crippled,_ " Sho managed to say, once his lungs allowed him to speak again. "I can do it _myself,_ dammit- _shit!_ "

Just as he said that, a wave of dizziness swept through him, and he fell right into Yu's waiting arms. As if being sick wasn't bad enough, now he was being _humiliated_ \- at least it was _Yu_ who caught him, though the Dojimas bore witness to the spectacle, which irritated Sho to no end.

He didn't have the energy to fight it, though, and he decided that just this once, his pride could go screw itself. He allowed Yu to carry him up to the bedroom they now shared, pointedly disregarding the shifting in the back of his head - Minazuki seemed like he had something to say, but even a colossal pain in the ass like him must have realized that now wasn't the time.

If Sho was to be completely honest, there wasn't a thing about this situation that he didn't hate... but at least he wasn't _alone_ this time. There were few things worse than recovering from an illness all by oneself.

* * *

Two hours later, Sho awoke from a nap that he didn't remember taking, and he felt even _worse_ than he had before. He was tucked into Yu's futon, and a bit of exploration with his hand led him to notice that he had a wet cloth on his forehead, which he held steady as he forced himself into a sitting position.

Minazuki had sworn off sudden takeovers a long time ago, so the odds were that Sho had _actually_ fallen asleep, and his brain was so badly fried from the fever that his memory was _toast_. He coughed into his other hand a few times, then looked around the room-

Rise was there, making herself comfortable on the couch, and Yu sat beside her, engrossed in a book. As miserable as Sho was right now, their presence brought him _some_ measure of comfort - but when had Rise gotten here?

"...Hey." Sho hated the way he sounded right now, but he wanted to let them know that he was awake. "Aren't you two gonna catch this shit from me...?"

"Yeah." Yu answered the observation in his usual calm tone, not even looking up from his book. "Will you take care of me when that happens?"

Rise elbowed Yu in response to that. "That's not very nice." She turned to Sho, and offered him a smile. "The most important thing right now is making sure you're as comfortable as possible so that you can heal quicker." Her expression turned curious. "...Though, how did you get sick in the first place?"

"You're asking _me?_ " Sho gave a short laugh, which trailed off into yet another cough. "S'not even flu season... I guess I _flew_ right past that..." He cleared his throat, and winced at the pain that accompanied the action. "Why're you here? Y'didn't answer my text earlier..."

"Oh, sorry about that..." Rise turned her gaze to the floor beside Sho. "I was busy, so I couldn't answer right away, and then Yu-senpai called me and told me that you were sick, so that's when I decided to come over. You really look _awful..._ "

"That's about how I _feel,_ too." Sho laid back down, groaning. "...I'd use some _better_ words for it..."

Abruptly, Yu set aside the book he'd been reading and stood up. "I'm going to get some water." He stepped over to the door, then glanced back at Sho. "You need to keep yourself hydrated. I know it can be hard to drink when you're sick, but it'll help you recover faster."

"Yes, _mom,_ " Sho muttered, and he punctuated it with another cough. "...You're just like _him_ sometimes..."

"I just want to help you," Yu pointed out, as he opened the door. "And so does he... I'll try not to be gone too long, okay?"

Sho didn't say anything as he watched Yu exit the room; he _hated_ being coddled like this, and if the circumstances were different, he would have resisted. However, he was too _tired_ to put up much of a fight, and at least it was _them_ taking care of him - besides, a certain nagging voice in his head would probably take over if he tried to leave.

"That cloth must be warm by now," Rise observed, and she stood up as well. "Should I replace it for you?"

...Yeah, this was pretty high on the list of most humiliating situations that Sho had ever been in. Still, Rise meant well - and he didn't have much of a reason to turn down the offer.

"Take it away," Sho told her, and he gave a weak grin. "...Thanks. I'm already feeling better."

"Just don't push yourself..." Rise's tone was playful, even as she walked over to him and plucked the cloth off of his forehead. "You want me to make you dinner later?"

Yu would've objected to that if he was present, but he _wasn't,_ so Sho just nodded as vigorously as he could without aggravating his headache. A nice, extra-hot meal sounded _fantastic_ right now - it'd clear his sinuses, if nothing else.

Really, when it came down to it, Sho could pull through this with the help of the people he loved, and he'd gotten to the point where he could admit that to himself. At least those damn germs had waited until he got to Inaba...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I am still no better at closing off scenes. Sorry!
> 
> If this same thing had happened when Sho was younger, they likely would have had to tie him up to get him to rest. (Make of that what you will.)


End file.
